


Learning To Walk On Water

by mylifeissocoollike



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Defense Against the Dark Arts, F/M, Harry Potter Next Generation, Hogwarts, Post-Second War with Voldemort, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Professor Harry Potter, Tedoire, dada professor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-28
Updated: 2016-11-28
Packaged: 2018-09-02 18:35:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8678812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mylifeissocoollike/pseuds/mylifeissocoollike
Summary: Teddy Lupin struggles with his newfound status as Head Boy, his godfather's status as resident DADA professor, and finally getting his life together by facing his personal issues. Along the ride, his relationship with a certain Weasley grows, and he finds strength in the most unexpected places. Hogwarts is his home, but  learning where he fits might be as difficult as walking on water.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Co-authored with [emmelinevvance](https://emmelinevvance.tumblr.com/), inspired by [This Post](http://maltheo.tumblr.com/post/148814502759/tattooedsiren-gvorgeblagden-batcii-how).

Teddy was running. There was something in the back of his mind that urged him to go faster or else he’d be caught. He had no idea what was behind him, only that the scratching of claws was getting louder and the stench of the creature’s breath was getting stronger.

As he turned a corner, Teddy was vaguely aware that the halls he ran through looked a lot like those at Hogwarts. The idea that he was at Hogwarts gave him courage and he suddenly came to a stop at the end of the hall.  _ No point in running _ , he thought as he turned and pulled out his wand.  _ It’s just you and me. _

The creature rounded the corner and came barreling toward him. The creature felt familiar- as if it had haunted him his entire life. It looked like a wolf, but it was too twisted and enraged to be entirely normal. Teddy stared into its dark, hungry eyes until it was practically on top of him.

“ _ Lacarnum inflamarae _ !” A ball of flame shot toward the beast and caught its tail. Teddy quickly followed with a stinging jinx, and the creature dropped to the ground and began writhing in pain. He should follow up with a body bind curse- he knew he should. But curiosity drew him closer to the creature.

Its entire body shook and it foamed at the mouth. He could see hatred and pain in its eyes. Teddy felt a twinge of guilt. He raised his wand to bind the creature until help arrived when it suddenly transformed into a man.

His father, Remus Lupin, twisted and shook in pain from Teddy’s own curses. Betrayal gleamed in the familiar eyes that he knew only from photographs. He felt like he was going to be sick. He collapsed to his knees and grabbed his father’s arm.

“Please… no… I didn’t mean it,” he begged. His father closed his eyes and suddenly, there was a large mirror before him where his father once lay.

Teddy slowly rose to his feet and stared into the mirror. Only, along with his reflection, his parents stood by his side. Their hands rested on his shoulders and they smiled out at him like they were proud of him. Like he hadn’t just cursed his own father. Teddy allowed himself to smile back and he reached out to touch the mirror. For a moment the three of them were at peace. Suddenly the peaceful expressions on his parents’ faces changed to that of horror, as if something terrifying had suddenly appeared behind him.

He whipped his head around but there was nothing in the hall. When he turned back to the mirror, the image of his parents was gone and the image of the creature had reappeared. Only this time, Teddy realized, it wasn’t an illusion but his own reflection. He  _ was  _ the creature.

A hunger and anger began to fill his soul and Teddy let out a cry as the monster within swallowed him whole.

Teddy burst from his nightmare like he was coming up for air. He sat in bed, breathing hard, sweating and frantically trying to remember where he was.  _ Not in Hogwarts. The Burrow. My bedroom in the Burrow. _

He rubbed his palms into his eyes and tried to calm down. He went to the bathroom, splashed water on his face and reminded himself of reality.

“You are Teddy Lupin. Your seventh year at Hogwarts starts soon. You live with your grandmother and are visiting your godfather and the Weasleys. They all love you, you are not a monster,” he said as he went through his morning routine. The chant had become part of the routine by now since the same nightmare had plagued him all summer. He wished he could escape it.

He plastered a smile on his face and made his way to the kitchen, smelling that breakfast was already in full swing. He knew that his hair was flickering between his favorite blue color and a dusty brown. He knew the hair would tip Harry off right away that he was upset and had been dreaming about his parents again. They would talk about it later he was sure. For now he would act like he was perfectly fine, besides, he could hear a familiar voice in the kitchen that hadn’t been there last night and his heart leapt to his throat in anticipation of seeing Victoire Weasley.

Teddy heard light footsteps and peeked in the sunlit room. He had no need to anticipate seeing her pale blond hair and favorite ruffled blue top: Victoire was standing at the table, pouring herself a glass of pumpkin juice. He stepped in and she glanced up; his girlfriend lit up at seeing Teddy’s face, and her eyes narrowed once she noticed the dark circles under his eyes. Still, she stepped towards him and pressed a light kiss to his cheek. Teddy smirked and spoke,

“Good morning?”

“Of course, Lupin. There weren’t any pranks in my bathroom this morning. I’m hoping today’s a bit quiet.”

Teddy laughed and shook his head. “Nothing’s ever quiet around here-OOF!” He stumbled backwards against the kitchen island, and then looked down at a mass of wild, black hair. 

Taking James Sirius by the shoulders, Teddy grumbled, “What is it, lil bro? It’s nine, I thought you’d be sleeping in ‘til noon.”

“Funny,” James scowled. He flicked Teddy on the shoulder and grinned as Teddy muttered something unintelligible, and then he perked up. Jumping up and down, he yelled into Teddy’s ears, “Stop distracting me! I have news!”

“Go on, then,” Victoire spoke up, resting her head on Teddy’s shoulder.

“Oh, alright. You’re no fun,” grumbled James, pulling out a letter with a Hogwarts crest. Handing it to Teddy, he waited. 

With a hint of excitement, Victoire said, “Is that  _ the  _ letter? The letter about Head Boy?”

Teddy nodded, and opened up the letter. He read, “ _ Dear Mr. Lupin, it is my great pleasure as headmistress of Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft to inform you that you have been selected for the honourable position of Head Boy. Congr-” _

“WHOOPEE! DID YOU HEAR THAT, EVERYBODY! OUR TEDDY’S BEEN CHOSEN AS HEAD BOY! OUR TEDDY LUPIN, THE SWOT!” James screeched, running up the stairs of the Burrow. Teddy heard loud groans from his godparents as they were rudely woken up through the haze of his shock. He turned to Victoire and handed her the letter. She promptly placed it on the counter and leaned in. Teddy met her halfway and grinned through the kiss; when he stepped back, it was to read over her shoulder the rest of the letter.

“ _ Congratulations on achieving this remarkable placement. I hope that in making this decision I will have chosen a great role model for the students of Hogwarts School. Below are your appointed duties, as well as the normal list of required Hogwarts materials. These duties are not to be taken lightly, but I am sure you will give your best effort in each and every one. Good luck, Teddy. Sincerely, Headmistress Minerva McGonagall.” _

Teddy laughed incredulously at the last line. “Good luck, she says,” Teddy muttered. “The Prefects are going to devour me!”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Harry replied, rubbing his still-sleepy eyes and frowning at James, who had snatched the letter from Victoire’s fingers and was now reading it eagerly to Lily, Rose, Albus, and Hugo. The good news could be sent to Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur later; James was tugging at his sleeve.

“It’s not ridiculous! I’ve  _ seen _ the new fifth year prefects; they’re positively  _ evil! _ ” Victoire laughed heartily at this. She knew why Teddy was complaining: Uncle Percy’s daughter, Molly, was a stickler for rules and had wanted to be prefect since she walked through the Hogwarts doors.

“Teddy,” Harry responded sternly. “Don’t go calling them evil”-Teddy humphed at this-”you were a prefect too. Besides, you’ll do fine, McGonagall loves our family and you’ve always been a star in her eyes. And I’ll be there to help you. See? I just got my Hogwarts Letter.”

“Don’t pull my leg, that’s got to be  _ my  _ letter,” James said to Harry. 

Teddy, quite lost at the moment, looked up to see Harry walking over to Pigwidgeon and untying two letters with the Hogwarts crest. He looked on in confusion as Harry unsealed the letter and scanned the writing; and waited for Harry to explain what he meant. What he was not prepared for, of course, was what Harry said next.

“I’m the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor,” Harry said simply.

“ _ What!?” _ James yelped, eyeing his father. He had taken the second letter, but the excitement of reading his Hogwarts Acceptance Letter was completely lost.

It seemed Teddy was not the only one who was unprepared for the announcement. As Harry explained that Headmistress McGonagall offered him the job when the last professor decided to retire, James’ face grew red. Teddy and Victoire held back stifled laughter as the eldest Potter child exploded.

“But, Dad, you can’t go back to Hogwarts!  _ It’s not fair _ ! I was finally going to leave home and go out on my own and now you’re following me!? Like some kind of  _ stalker _ !? Are you determined to be a helicopter parent or something?” James stormed out of the kitchen and into the garden.

“I’ll go calm him down,” Ginny said as she drifted through the kitchen. She must have heard James’ tantrum from upstairs- everyone in the Burrow probably had.

“I think it’s cool, Dad.” Albus was the first to break the awkward silence left in the wake of James’ dramatic exit. Harry smiled at him and offered to pour all the younger kids some juice. 

“What about you, Teddy, want anything?” For the first time all morning, his godfather focused on him with absolute clarity. Something passed over Harry’s face as he realized that something other than the prefects he would have to control was bothering Teddy. The eye contact they made was full of questions and Harry nodded matter of factly.

“Kids how about you go outside, we’ll have a picnic breakfast this morning.” All of the kids cheered and ran outside to play.

“Vic, could you give us a moment?” Teddy asked. She nestled into his side and gazed up at him with a raised eyebrow. 

“We’ll talk about it later, I promise,” he said as he pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. Teddy watched her leave and then returned his attention to Harry, who was trying hard to hide a smirk. He felt his cheeks and neck grow warm.

“Victoire, eh?”

“It’s still pretty new,” Teddy stammered.

“Gin and I were betting on how long it would take. I’m afraid what I just saw was confirmation that I lost that bet.”

Teddy chuckled and took a seat at the kitchen table. Harry sat down across from him soon after with two glasses of juice.

“Have you been having that dream again?” he came right out and asked it. Teddy supposed it was something nice about his godfather- he didn’t coddle him or beat around the bush. He treated him like the adult he was becoming.

“Yes and it was worse this time. I  _ was  _ the creature at the end.” Teddy explained the dream, trying to avoid shuddering as the painful memory of it filtered through his mind.

“Teddy, you know we can get you a soothing potion to take before bed,” Harry said but Teddy shook his head. His godfather always offered potions and Teddy always refused. By now he almost felt that it was just their routine. Harry offered it, even though he knew Teddy didn’t want to take something that would make the nightmares go away, he wanted to fight them on his own.

“Have I ever told you that I couldn’t sleep after the war?” Harry asked quietly.

“You couldn’t?”

“No.” Harry took a deep breath before beginning his explanation. “After Voldemort returned I always had terrible dreams, especially during my fifth year. Even after we defeated him in the final battle, dreams like that still haunted me. I began to be afraid that a piece of him was still inside of me and that it grew stronger while I was sleeping… like it was feeding off my bad dreams you know?”

Teddy nodded and Harry continued, “Eventually, I explained what was happening to Ron, Hermione and Ginny. They had been having nightmares too, and Hermione quickly figured out that we were suffering PTSD.”

Teddy looked at him questioningly.

“Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder,” Harry explained. “After the trauma of the war, we were all facing inner demons that surfaced in our nightmares. We read some books, even went to a couple muggle group therapy sessions so that we could learn how to cope and make the nightmares go away.”

“And did they stop?” Teddy asked hopefully. 

“Not at first, no. But we did learn things that helped make the nightmares easier to deal with.”

Harry explained how he and Ginny took an hour before they went to bed to talk about their day with each other. Sometimes they wrote their thoughts in a journal, sometimes they just talked naturally and let the conversation flow. They felt that getting out your problems from the day helped relax you before bed and therefore your other, deeper problems were less likely to make their way to the surface while you slept.

Somewhere during the explanation, Hermione and Ron made their way into the kitchen. They added that they never ate sugar after dinner. Hermione had read that sugar was more likely to excite your body and give you mood swings, which could make the nightmares surface if you had sugar and then immediately went to bed.

As Teddy listened to the adults explain how they dealt with their nightmares, he suddenly felt very relaxed. He hadn’t experienced the trauma they had, of course. But they weren’t being condescending about that. They didn’t treat him as though what was plaguing him wasn’t genuine only because it hadn’t been caused by the same horror that caused their own nightmares.

Eventually Ginny came back from the garden and told them that James had significantly calmed down and that the kids were asking about breakfast. Harry reached across the table and squeezed Teddy’s hand.

“You feeling better?”

“Yeah, loads actually. I think I’ll go find Victoire and tell her we’re going to have breakfast soon,” Teddy got up from the table and headed outside.

As the door swung shut he heard Ginny exclaim, “Harry Potter, I believe you owe me three galleons!”

He laughed as he approached Victoire. She was sitting beneath a tree, weaving flowers into crowns for her young cousins.

“How was your talk with Harry?” she asked as he sat down and wrapped an arm around her. He thought of the warm feeling in his chest, and how accepted he felt. The idea of his nightmares wasn’t nagging him anymore. He finally felt like he had been taken seriously and been given proper help. He imagined being able to have talks like that all the time now that Harry would be coming to Hogwarts to teach DADA.

“I think it’s going to be a good school year, Vic,” he said. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and when she smiled up at him, it felt like sunshine.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! This is going to be a multi-chapter fic but since residentpotter and I are so busy this year, it may take us a while to finish/post chapters. We hope you enjoy it and will post as often as we can. In the meantime you can check us out on tumblr: [residentpotter](http://residentpotter.tumblr.com) and [mylifeissocoollike](http://mylifeissocoollike.tumblr.com)


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